Red Lentil Daal

By sunitagt

Calories 455.9
Carbohydrates 53.2
Dietary fiber 26.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 g
Fat 19.0 g
Saturated fat 15.1 g
Sodium 100.7 mg
Protein 22.3 g

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 1/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno chili, seeded, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspon turmeric
• 1 pinch chili powder
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups red lentils
• 2 cinnamon sticks, or 1, if large
• 2 cups water
• 1 15-ounce can “light” coconut milk
• 1 juice of lemon
• 1 bunch mint, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• sea salt
• vegetable oil or grape seed oil

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from webmd.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat just enough oil to coat the bottom of a large pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Be careful, as they will begin to pop. Immediately add the onion, adjust the heat to medium, and cook until softened – about five minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, chili, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder and fry for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and fry the mixture for 1 minute.

2. Add the lentils and stir to coat them with the oil and spices. Add the cinnamon stick, water, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat so the daal is at a simmer. Cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom, until the lentils have partially lost their shape and are soft – about 15 minutes. Stir in more liquid as necessary for the consistency you want.

3. Remove the pot from the heat, season with sea salt and add the lemon juice to taste. At this point, you can allow the daal to cool and then cover and refrigerate it overnight. When reheating on the stove, you will need to add more liquid as it will thicken as it sits.

4. About 10 minutes before serving, add the herbs. You will want them to cook down a bit but not so much that they lose their color.
Serve warm over basmati rice and with a raita if desired.